Vehicles utilize a stop-start feature for reducing fuel consumption and emission. Generally, these vehicles include a 12V SLA battery for supplying power to restart the engine and are equipped with a sensor coupled to the SLA battery for monitoring the health of the 12V SLA battery. The sensor relies on a high current pulse created by a starter motor to monitor the characteristics of the 12V SLA battery. As modern vehicle systems are forgoing traditional starter motors in lieu of higher voltage starting systems, the traditional 12V battery sensors are starved of the high current pulses necessary to determine the battery health.